What Am I Doin? What Am I Doin?

I’m looking at houses, mayne, that’s what I’m doin. We need another bedroom, and we desperately want better schools and quieter streets because we’re old like that. I must have eyeballed hundreds online already, and negged dozens in person, but today we may have found a contender.

Maybe.

It’s over our budget and it’s not perfect, but it’s in a fab neighborhood with excellent schools — which is saying something because Austin schools are not so great. Sorry, but it had to be said. Or typed, as the case may be.

I’d show you a pic of the exterior, but frankly you can’t even really see it. Because it’s built into a hill, and it lies at the bottom of the driveway of death. Sounds great already, right? Yes, but did I mention the views, the miles of wraparound decking, the acre lot, and the seriously amazing neighborhood?

And the WINDOWS. Tons and tons of windows. I’d like to show you more interior shots, but I’ve had my daily fill of microfiber.

Ok, just this one more. Because that window is so cute. And did you see the beams and the real oak floors, the floors that are not stained a hideous shade of red? Also, can I say that the fireplace — while awesome and copper and very unique — must go. It’s, like, 30 shades of too big.

Oh yeah, and there’s carpet in all the bedrooms. At least it’s brand new.

Also, there is a weird midgetty loft to the side of the dining room that I can’t show you because there are no pictures. And the cabinets are not the bizness — nothing a little paint and contact paper can’t cover for the time being, but not long term worthy, either.

If it sounds like I’m trash talking the place, well I probably am. I’m skeered. We aren’t rich, but we aren’t used to carrying much debt, either. We live modestly, and this — this is not a modest house. This house will make us poor. But it will also make us all upwardly mobile and shit. Poor rich people. And that seems like a lonely place.

Do you think there are coyotes that eat rich people out there? I bet they might even settle for middle class meat.

11 Comments

I smell uber potential!!! Just remember- yes being house poor sucks- but I still contend its better to invest in a house than a savings account. Those interest rates wont even keep up with inflation.

Hope it works out!

robin::July 23, 2010 at 7:57 am::

i love the copper fireplace surround. You could totally work with that and not mess it up–think about it–you could put copper-wrapped board shelves on it and dress them up with tiny 60s copper sculptures, or you could put a patina on it and let it keep a lovely green-gray textural element to the room.

it would work very well with a hollywood regency feel, or even 70s disco/deco-in fact would be a great counterpoint to super-slickness.

You could also get some wallpaper with copper in the pattern and just run it all the way to the ceiling.

that said, I bought an apt. a little out of my reach a few years ago and have been regretting it ever since. but I don’t have a little one to think about.

Connie::July 23, 2010 at 8:14 am::

Looks like a winner. Is it close to Karly? Of course, you would keep the, ahem, lovely floral arrangement on the upper cabinets in the kitchen, right?

I’m down if you host Design Crisis festivals on your big fat plot o’ land. I’ll even sleep in a tent.

That said, we were there a few months ago (I mean, on the cliff of buying a house that would make us poor, not at that particular house, although that would be a weird coincidence) and ended up not buying the house. A lot of it had to do with the fact that it had been freshly reno’d in a not-terrible style, but in a definite style that is far from our own. The thought of undoing a lot of those projects added up pretty quickly–making a reach house a definitely-out-of-our-price-range house.

i can totally see why you like this house. looks great! yes, definitely microfiber overload though…funny:)
sounds like me, looking at houses because of the school district, which puts you out of your price range. gotta do it for the kiddos though.

This looks like it has all kinds of potential and that setting looks fantastic. No house is perfect (as I’ve learned) but it sounds like this one is pretty close to everything you’re looking for . . . This is so exciting! You know how much I love house hunting. I hope you’ll show us more!